HEMET: Transplant recipient celebrates new life on New Year's

"Throughout my life and my career as a professional baseball player, knowing the daily struggles of my family has always been a driving force for me to never take a day for granted," Eckstein was quoted as saying in his profile on Donate Life's website.

This is Beers' first time on the float, but he has worked on the Donate Life floats before, helping to produce the floragraphs, which are colorful depictions of donors that line the edge of the float.

A couple of weeks ago, Beers and his wife, Brenda, drove up to Pasadena to put in some work on the float. Beers was tasked with producing the floragraph of a young man from North Dakota, Tyler Summer, a cornea donor who died of heart disease.

"The neat part of the floragraph program," Beers said, "is usually ... we have the opportunity to meet the family."

Brenda Beers said the interaction between the recipients and donor families can get emotional.

"It was kind of nerve-wracking to meet him in person," Beers said. "But it was really neat to be able to thank him in person, for their choice to donate her organs and save my life."

Brenda Beers will be along the parade route, sitting in the grandstand, taking in the spectacle, while keeping an eye out for the 200-foot float with the distinctive, interlocking, heart-shaped ribbons.

"Donation is such an important part of our lives," Brenda Beers said. "And for John and I to be able to give back, by going and working on the float ...

"The millions of people who see that on New Year's Day, hopefully it encourages them to put that pink dot on their driver's license, or make their wishes known to their family. Because it does, it saves lives."